CM happy over good inflows into river Krishna from Karnataka

Hyderabad, July 26 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today expressed happiness over significant inflows into the reservoirs across river Krishna from the upper riparian state of Karnataka.

''I am optimistic' that the state will overcome drought conditions in as many as 12 districts with the Indian Meterological Department (IMD) forcasting good southwest monsoon rains in the next three or four days,'' he said while holding a video conference with the officials from the Secretariat.

''Fortunately, we are having a very good storage in the major reservoirs in the state, including Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar,'' Dr Reddy noted.

With the inflow going up to 1,49,055 cusecs, the level in Srisailam, the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh, rose to 864.80 ft against the full level of 885 ft. With the present rate of inflow, the reservoir was likely to surplus within ten days, Irrigation Department officials here told UNI.

Both Telangana and Rayalasseema received widespread rains in the last 24 hours and light to moderate rain or thundershowers were likely in all the three regions of the State in the next two days, Hyderabad Meterological Centre Director M Satya Kumar said.

Asking the District Collectors to persuade farmers to go for dairy farming as also cultivation of horticultural crops, Dr Reddy noted that Banks in the state had advanced an additional Rs 1,000 crore as loans to farmers for Khariff season and were ready to provide additional loans for dairying whereever crops had withered.

The state was ready with contingency plan as crops in 4.53 lakh hecatares of the 29.77 lakh hectares sown had withered due to deficit rainfall in June and July, Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy added.

He said sufficient quantity of seeds had been positioned for raising alternative crops like redgram and sunflower by farmers with 33 per cent subsidy, as weathermen had predicted good rains in Telangana and Rayalaseema during this week.

UNI SM ROY RP KN1506